Unmasking Psychological Symptoms - How Therapists Can Learn to Recognize the Psychological Presentation of Medical Disorders

More than 100 medical diseases—many common ailments—are capable of masquerading as mental disorders. This book shows clinicians how to identify patients who are most likely to have an underlying physical ailment and how to direct them to a targeted medical work-up. With guidance on working with patients during the referral process and afterward, as well as on integrating medical findings into ongoing therapeutic work, clinicians will benefit from the practical advice on recognizing signs, symptoms, and patterns of medical diseases that may be underlying a psychologically presenting malady.

Barbara Schildkrout, MD, is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. She has taught for many years at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Boston Institute for Psychotherapy. She is a board-certified psychiatrist and has had a private clinical practice in the Boston area for over twenty-five years.